Screen door assembly for garages



Sept. 17, 1963 B. GASCHEN SCREEN DOOR ASSEMBLY FOR GARAGES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. v 440/? 5, Gasckel;

Filed July 3, 196 1 p 17, 1963 B. GASCHEN 3,103,967

SCREEN DOOR ASSEMBLY FOR GARAGES Filed July 5.1961 g 2' Sheds-Sheet 2 'llllhl 55 .84 llh 49/ INVENTOR. Leon 5. fiascfiafl United htates Patented Sept. 17, 1963 3,103,967 SCREEN DOOR ASSEMBLY FOR GARAGES Leon B. Gaschen, 714 W. 87th Terrace, Kansas City, Mo. Filed July 3, 1961, Ser. No. 121,751 3 Claims. (Cl. 163-113) This invention relates to means for closing the doorway of an enclosure and, more particularly, to structure in the nature of a foraminous closure member which may be attached to a garage common to residential neighborhoods for blocking the doorway of the garage while permitting substantially free circulation of air in the latter.

It is sometimes desirable to block off the doorway of a garage common to residential neighborhoods, to prevent ingress to and egrees from the interior of the garage, especially if it is desired to confine children to a specific area of play. In view of this, it is further desirable that fresh air be admitted to the interior of the garage so that the occupants confined therein may derive the heathful benefits of the fresh air.

The present invention provides means for blocking the doorway of a garage of the character described, while at the same time permitting substantially free circulation of air therein so that the doorway of the garage is effectively blocked while the same is subjected to free circulation of air from the atmosphere exteriorly of the garage. To this end, the present invention provides an articulate, shiftable, foraminous closure member which is adapted to be carried on a pair of spaced tracks afiixed to the garage for movement into and out of closing relationship to the doorway of the garage. The tracks are adapted for mounting on the jambs of the doorway of the garage and extend upwardly from the latter to a position adjacent the top of the garage. To accomplish this attachment, minor modification to the structure or" the garage is first performed, this modification requiring only the replacement of a conventional strip of two-by-four lumber with a strip of oneby-four lumber at one marginal extremity of the overhead sill interconnecting the door jambs of the garage. Further, the moldings on the jambs and sill are moved outwardly to permit the tracks to be secured to the jambs.

The foraminous member comprises a plurality of hinged interconnected sections having roller means thereon projecting laterally therefrom in opposed directions, the roller means being received within the channels of the tracks adapted to be secured to the door jambs. By virtue of the aforesaid interconnection, the sections are relatively shiftable to permit the member to assume a substantially horizontal position above and overlying the base of the garage when the closure member is remote from the doorway.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a shiftable, foraminous closure member for removably closing the doorway of a garage common to residential areas and which may be readily attached to the garage with minor structure modifications to the latter, whereby the property owner himself may accomplish the work of attaching the member to the garage without assistance and with a minimum expenditure of time and effort therefor.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a foraminous member which may be attached to a garage of the aforesaid character for blocking the doorway of the latter, whereby ingress to and egress from the interior of the garage is prevented, while at thesame time permitting the free circulation of air within the latter from the amosphere exteriorly of the garage.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an attachment for a garage wherein the attachment includes a plurality of hingedly interconnected sections shiftably carried by track means adapted to be mounted on the door jambs of the garage and extending upwardly therefrom to a point thereabove, whereby the sections may be moved from a position closing the doorway of the garage to a position above and clearing the doorway when the closure member is not to be used.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent as the following specification progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

'FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a garage common to residental areas, and illustrating the attachment therewith of the device which forms the subject of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional, plan view of the doorway of the garage illustrated in FIG. 1 and showing the relative positions of an overhead door and the device which forms the subject of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the closure member which forms a part of the aforesaid device taken along line 33 of FIG. 1;

HG. 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged, side elevational view of the closure member and illustrating the means for interconnecting the latter to the tracks adapted to be secured to the door jambs of the garage;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5 5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, enlarged; cross-sectional view of the garage in the vicinity of the overhead sill thereof, illustrating the means for maintaining the closure member in a position clearing the doorway of the garage.

The present invention is adapted to be used with garages which are common to residential neighborhoods, and such garage is illustrated in partial detail in FIGS. 1 and 2. in these figures, the garage is broadly denoted by the numeral 10 and is provided with a base 12, side walls 14, and a top wall 16 in the nature of a roof for covering the garage. In addition, garage '10 is provided with a doorway denoted by the numeral 18, and defined by a pair of spaced, upright jambs 20, and an overhead sill 22 interconnecting jambs 20 at points thereon spaced below the upper-most ends thereof, jambs 20 terminating below top wall 16. An outer wall 24 extends upwardly from sill 22 to a point adjacent to and secured to top Wall 16, and similarly, an inner wall 26 extends above sill 22 and is secured to top 16. Thus, walls 24 and 26 are disposed between jambs 20 and form a part of the basic structure of garage =10.

Generally, side moldings 28 and top molding 30 are secured to jambs 2t and sill 2.2 respectively so as to provide a finished and workman-like appearance to garage '10.

, Moldings 23, in addition to being secured to jambs 2d, are

normally secured to and engage structural members 32 shown in FIG. 2 which abut the innermost ends of jambs 20 and, in effect, are considered continuations of jambs 20. Members 32 are in the nature of conventional twoby-four lengths of lumber which extend upwardly from base 12 adjacent the corresponding jambs 2t Moldings 28 are normally positioned such that the innermost faces 34 thereof are substantially flush with the innermost faces 36 of structural members 32.

To correspond with the structural members 3-2, a structural member (not shown) interconnecting the uppermost ends of structural members 32 and spamm ng the distance therebetween, is usually provided and secured to the innermost face of sill 22. Such structural member is also conventionally a two-by-four length of lumber which extends inwardly from sill =22 and extends slightly above the latter.

With the aforesaid structural members in place adjacent the jambs 20 and sill 22, an articulated overhead door denoted by the numeral 38, is movable into blocking relationship to the doorway '18 of garage it) by being slidably received within a pair of first tracks 48 on either side of doorway 18. First tracks 4!) are secured to the innermost faces 36 of members 32 by mews of L-shaped brackets 42 as shown in FIG. 2. First tracks 40 are transversely C-shaped to provide a channel for receiving rollers 44 secured to shafts 46 which extend inwardly toward the center of the garage and are journialled in U-shaped brackets 48 rigidly mounted to the inner face of door 38.

Door 38 is comprised of a plurality of hingedly interconnected segments and first tracks 40 are each provided with upright portions 50 which are integral with horizontal portions 52 extending into garage away from doorway 13 thereof. By virtue of this construction, door 33 is moved from a position blocking the doorway 18 to a position clearing the latter and overlying base 12 in a substantially horizontal position. A cable 54 is secured to the lowermost extremity of door 38 and passes over pulleys 56 and 58 and is finally secured at the opposite end thereof to a projection 60 adjacent pulley 56. A coil spring 62 is secured to pulley 58 to bias the cable 54 and thereby, door 38 in the uppermost position thereof. Coil spring 62 is adapted to be secured to garage 10 in any suitable manner.

When door 38 is moved into closing relationship with doorway 18, the outer face of door 38 normally engages the innermost faces 36 of structural members 32 as illustrated in FIG. 2, and in the presence of the structural member interconnecting the members 32 adjacent sill 22, door 33 also engages or abuts the structural member secured to still 22.

in the present invention, garage 10 is slightly modified to accommodate the attachment of the device which provides a foraminous closure member for garage 11%. To this end, moldings 28 and are moved relative to jambs 2t) and sill 22 to a position spaced outwardly from the normal position thereof, so that the faces 34 of moldings 23 are not flush with the faces 36 of structunal members 32. Similarly, molding 30 is moved so that the innermost fiace thereof is flush with the innermost faces of moldings 28.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a length 64 of one-by-four lumber is secured to the innermost face of sill 2'2 and spans the distance between members 32. Length 64 replaces the convent-ional two-by-four structural member usually found on garage 10 and therby provides a means for interconnecting structural members 32 at points thereon below the uppermost ends thereof while leaving the innermost portions of members 32 free of any attaching structural members.

By virtue of the aforesaid construction, a pair of second tracks 66 may be secured to the sides of structural members 32 and extend upwardly therewith and beyond length 64. Tracks 66 are transversely C-shaped to provide a channel for receiving bearing means therein, the latter to be described hereinafter. Tracks 66 are secured to members 32 so that the lowermost ends of the track 66 abut the base '12. Tracks 66 continue upwardly and curve inwardly adjacent top wall 116 where the same are directed inwardly of garage '10 in overlying relationship to the portions 52 of first tracks 40. Suitable brackets 68 interconnect tracks 66 at the uppermost ends thereof to top wall 16 to stabilize the tracks 66.

A closure member 70 is provided for use with tracks 66 to close the doorway 18 of garage 10. Member 70 is provided with a plurality of hingedly interconnected sections 72, each having a frame 74 provided with a central opening 76 therein and a sheet 78 of foraminous material secured to frame 74- in covering relationship to opening 76 thereof. Frames 74 may each be formed by a molding process or by an extrusion process, and the sheets 78 may be secured in any suitable manner to the corresponding inner margins of the corresponding frame 74. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, each frame 74 is provided with a normally innermost wall 84) and an outermost wall 82 spaced from inner wall 80.

As pointed out above, sections 72 are interconnected for relative movement and to this end, the horizontal marginal edges of adjacent sections 72 to be connected, are each provided with an end wall 34 which is inclined relative to the corresponding inner and outer walls 80 and 82 respectively. Adjacent end walls 84 diverge as the corresponding inner walls 80 thereof are approached, as illustrated in FIG. 5. By virtue of this construction, end walls 34 provide a V-shape, longitudinally extending recess 86 in closure member 78 for receiving hinges 83 therein.

Each hinge 83 is provided with a hinge plate 90 secured to one end wall 84 by a screw 92, a second hinge plate 94 secured to the adjacent end wall 84 by means of a screw 96, and an elongated hinge pin )8 interconnecting hinge plates 90 and 94 for relative movement. "the extremities of plates 90 and 94 remote from hinge pin 98 terminate adjacent the innermost walls 80 of corresponding sections 72 so that the hinge 88 is effectively retained within the corresponding recess 86 and no part of the hinge 88 projects outwardly from recess 86.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a pair of hinges 88 is provided at the ends of sections 72, and a pair of hinges 88 are provided for the central portion of the sections 72 on either side of the center lines thereof. The hinge pins 98 of the end hinges 38 extend outwardly from sections 72 in opposed directions and are provided with rollers 10!) there on, the latter being in spaced relationship to the corresponding end faces of sections 72. Bearing means in the nature of rollers or slides 196 are received within the channels formed by tracks 66 for movement relative to the latter. Member 76 is thereby shiftably oarriedby tnacks 66 for movement from a position blocking the doorway 18 to a position clearing the latter and overlying the door 38 when the latter is in the open position thereof. When member 70 is in the position blocking the doorway 18, the uppermost, horizontally extending, marginal extremity thereof, is adjacent to and in abutting relationship with the innermost faces of molding 30 and length 64. Similarly, the side marginal extremities of closure member 70 are partially in abutment with the innermost faces 34 of moldings 28 as illustrated in FIG. 2. Thus, closure member 79 substantially blocks doorway 18 when the same is in the position illustrated in FIG. 1.

The lowermost extremity of the lowermost section 72 is provided with a plate Ill-2 secured thereto and extending outwardly therefrom in a horizontal direction substantially parallel with base t2. Plate 102 is provided for abutting the lowermost face of molding 36 when closure member 79 is moved into a position clearing doorway 18. Thus, plate 102 limits the extent of upward movement of closure member 79 when the same moves to the aforesaid clean ing position.

An L-shaped rod 104 is journalled in molding 30 for rotation about a vertical axis. Rod 104 has a horizontal stretch 196 spaced from the lowermost face of molding 30, stretch 106 being movable into underlying relationship to plate 162 when closure member 70 is moved into the aforesaid clearing position. Thus, plate 102 rests on and is supported by rod 104 and prevents the downward movement of member 70.

In operation, door 33 is normally in the uppermost position as illustrated in FIG. 1, and closure member 70 may then be moved to a position blocking doorway 18 or clearing doorway 18. To accomplish this result, the closure member 76 may be manually lifted, whereby it shifts relative to tracks 66 by virtue of rollers, 100, or closure member 79 may be manually lowered to a position blocking doorway 13 by shifting relative to track 66. When closure member 79 blocks doorway 18, the same may be elevated to a position whereby stretch 166 of rod 104 is moved to a position underlying plate 102. In this position, closure member 70 is prevented from further downward movement and the sections 72 thereof define relatively angularly disposed positions above door 38 by virtue of the inner connections of the sections 72 by hinges 83. As shown in FIG. 1, one of the sections 72 lies along the chord of the are formed by the curvature in the corresponding tracks 66.

When the closure member '70 is in the uppermost position, the rotation of rod 104 causes stretch 166 to move out of underlying relationship to plate 102 and thus permits the member '70 to be lowered to a position block ing doorway 18.

It is clear that tracks 66 may be attached to members 3 2 after slight modification to the basic structure of garage has been accomplished, such modification requiring only the replacement of the overhead structural member with length 64 and the moving of molding 28 and 3%) outwardly relative to members 32. Further, by virtue of the foraminous closure member slidably received within track 66, the interior of garage 10 may be provided with free circulation of air, while the doorway 18 thereof remains substantially blocked to prevent ingress to and egress from the interior of garage 19. It is further evident that the aforesaid attachment to garage 10 may be accomplished readily by the owner of the property of which garage 10 is a part, so that the tracks 66 and closure member '70 may be attached to the garage with a mini-mum expenditure of time and client.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In an enclosure provided with an upright wall having a pair of spaced, upright support members and overhead, generally horizontal sill structure cooperable to define a doorway in the wall, horizontally spaced track means having an upright portion on the normally inner face of the wall adjacent said upright members and a generally horizontal, overhead portion disposed within the enclosure and interconnected with said upright portion, and vertically shift-able, anticulated overhead door means shiftably carried by said track means and movable to and from a position within the enclosure closing the doorway and spaced from said sill structure, the combination with said upright members and sill structure of an ant-iculated closure member comprising a plurality of hingedly interconnected frames, each presenting a central opening and having a sheet of foraminous material secured thereto in covering relationship to the opening, said closure memher having a maximum thickness no greater than the space between said sill structure and the upper margin of the door means when the latter is in the closed position thereof; and track structure shiftably carrying said closure member and mounted on the opposed doorway defining surfaces of the upright members and extending upwardly therewith through said space and above said sill structure, whereby the closure member may be moved within said space from a first position closing the doorway to a seccond position above said first position and clearing the doorway.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said track structure includes an upright portion mounted on said doorway defining surfaces and a generally horizontal portion interconnected with said upright portion and disposed above the generally horizontal overhead portion of said track means in spaced relation thereto.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein is included an L-shaped rod having a vertical stretch and a generally horizontal stretch depending from said sill structure by said vertical stretch and rotatable about said vertical stretch, and a plate mounted on the lowermost margin of the closure member and extending generally horizontally therefrom into the doorway in vertical alignment with said rod for engaging said sill structure when the closure memher is in said second position to prevent further upward movement thereof, whereby said horizontal stretch may be rotated into underlying relationship with said plate when the closure member is in said second position to prevent downward movement thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,395,492 Guggenberger Nov. 1, 1921 2,391,845 Rowe Dec. 25, 1945 3,021,896 Buono et a1 Feb. 20, 1962 

1. IN AN ENCLOSURE PROVIDED WITH AN UPRIGHT WALL HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED, UPRIGHT SUPPORT MEMBERS AND OVERHEAD, GENERALLY HORIZONTAL SILL STRUCTURE COOPERABLE TO DEFINE A DOORWAY IN THE WALL, HORIZONTALLY SPACED TRACK MEANS HAVING AN UPRIGHT PORTION ON THE NORMALLY INNER FACE OF THE WALL ADJACENT SAID UPRIGHT MEMBERS AND A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL, OVERHEAD PORTION DISPOSED WITHIN THE ENCLOSURE AND INTERCONNECTED WITH SAID UPRIGHT PORTION, AND VERTICALLY SHIFTABLE, ARTICULATED OVERHEAD DOOR MEANS SHIFTABLY CARRIED BY SAID TRACK MEANS AND MOVABLE TO AND FROM A POSITION WITHIN THE ENCLOSURE CLOSING THE DOORWAY AND SPACED FROM SAID SILL STRUCTURE, THE COMBINATION WITH SAID UPRIGHT MEMBERS AND SILL STRUCTURE OF AN ARTICULATED CLOSURE MEMBER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF HINGEDLY INTERCONNECTED FRAMES, EACH PRESENTING A CENTRAL OPENING AND HAVING A SHEET OF FORAMINOUS MATERIAL SECURED THERETO IN COVERING RELATIONSHIP TO THE OPENING, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER HAVING A MAXIMUM THICKNESS NO GREATER THAN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID SILL STRUCTURE AND THE UPPER MARGIN OF THE 